a lecture on childhood safety and the adult’s responsibility

Children do not know everything. Or at least as much as adults know to be true of this world. They do not know that if you touch the stove, the fire will burn. They do not know that its possible to tumble down the stairs if you are six months old. They do not know that if they retrieve their ball in the middle of the street, that the the speeding car will harm them. Their world is wrapped up in the ball. In its roundness. In its redness. In its ability to bounce. They do not know to concern themselves with traffic, streets, and safety.

It is not the child’s primary responsibility to take care of their protection and safety. It is the adult. There are some things that the adult must take full responsibility for.

The adult must ensure the child baths, eats, learns, sleeps, and is safe. The child will ensure that the mud pie is of the right consistency. And that the pirates will not invade its pretend boat. And that Mr bear gets the right amount of tea.

With this being the given, it will not occur to the child to protect their own sexuality. They will not know to look for signs of predators. In the movie, the villain spews green slim. They do not know that the villain can morph into the body of dad. It will not occur to concern themselves with these hard possibilities. Therefore it is the responsibility of the adult to protect their safety and innocence. The father must know better and do better.

The police ask did you say no. It is the fathers responsibility to never put you in a position to say no. A child does not know that their fearful silence will lead to the demise of their safety. They do not know the villain morphs into dad.

And it is the responsibility of the officer to recreate a safe world by naming evil and naming crime and saying this is wrong. The officer should never make the child feel that had they uttered no it would have never happened. A child does not know this.

A seven year old is a child. And a fourteen year old too. Every child should be protected and safe and blame is on the adult who puts the child in any position besides that.